Boy · #55 in 2026

Charles

Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form Charles of the Proto-Germanic name ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ or *karilaz, whose meaning was "free man". The Old English descendant of this word was Ċearl or Ċeorl, as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the Norman conquest of England.

Current Rank
#55
Peak Rank
#4 (1947)
Total Babies
2.4M
5-Yr Trend
-15%
1880
First Year
2024
Last Year
1927
Peak Year
#395
Peak Rank
12K
Total Count
144
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Charles

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form Charles of the Proto-Germanic name ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ or *karilaz, whose meaning was "free man". The Old English descendant of this word was Ċearl or Ċeorl, as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the Norman conquest of England.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The name's etymology is a Common Germanic noun *karilaz meaning "free man", which survives in English as churl (< Old English ċeorl ), which developed its deprecating sense in the Middle English period. Some Germanic languages, for example Dutch and German , have retained the word in two separate senses. In the particular case of Dutch, Karel refers to the given name , whereas the noun kerel means "a bloke, fellow, man". [ citation needed ] In the form Charles , the initial spelling ch- corresponds to the palatalization of the Latin group ca- to [tʃa] in Central Old French ( Francien ) and the

The Story of Charles

Charles first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 5,348 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 40,779 Charless were born — ranking #9 that year. As of 2026, Charles ranks #55 for baby boys with 5,349 births, gradually falling (-15%). In total, more than 2.4M Charless have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Charles

Phonetically similar names — useful when Charles is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Charles

What does the name Charles mean?
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form Charles of the Proto-Germanic name ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ or *karilaz, whose meaning was "free man". The Old English descendant of this word was Ċearl or Ċeorl, as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the Norman conquest of England.
How popular is Charles in 2026?
In 2026, Charles ranks #55 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5,349 babies given the name that year.
When was Charles most popular?
Charles reached its peak popularity in 1947, ranking #4 that year with 40,779 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Charles most popular?
Charles has historically been most popular in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Charles.
Is Charles a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Charles is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Charles?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Charles include George, Theodore, Alexander. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Charles

Charles is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 2.4M births in the dataset. Charles's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #4. Use the chart and map above to compare Charles's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.